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Book Reviews by Simon Winlow

Critical Criminology, 2021

If we are to understand the ongoing process of the commercialisation of the university system, i... more If we are to understand the ongoing process of the commercialisation of the university system, it is vital that we return to ideology critique. This article attempts to identify and explain the ideological structure of two interrelated processes. First, it investigates the role neoliberalism has played in the erosion of the core values of the university. Focusing on the British university system, the author addresses the ‘reversal of ideology’ and the onward march of processes of metricisation, competition and depoliticisation. The author then explores the domestication of critique and the anxiety and trepidation that prevail in the occupational cultures of the British academy. The article then addresses the impact of these changes upon British criminology and the working lives and careers of British criminologists. The articles closes with the claim that, if criminologists are to play some role in addressing the fundamental challenges of our time – and in rescuing the university from the market – they must dare to overturn obstructive conventions and set themselves to the task of extending our knowledge of our social, cultural and economic life.

This obituary for Steve Redhead first appeared in the British Society of Criminology's Summer 201... more This obituary for Steve Redhead first appeared in the British Society of Criminology's Summer 2018 newsletter.

Policing and Society

Appeared in the journal Policing and Society

Papers by Simon Winlow

Routledge eBooks, Jun 19, 2015

ABSTRACT

Routledge eBooks, Jul 5, 2017

Justice Alternatives, 2019

Transforming Society Blog, 2024

The English Riots of 2024 possessed a markedly different character to the English riots of 2011. ... more The English Riots of 2024 possessed a markedly different character to the English riots of 2011. The political and socio-economic contexts have changed. Tens of millions feel politically ignored and unrepresented. Racism is changing at a fundamental level. As we stumble blindly towards a new techno-feudal age, crisis stacks upon on top of crisis, desperation is normalised, and fundamental questions remain unanswered.

The British Journal of Criminology, 2017

Handbook on the Social Determinants of Health, edited by Toba Bryant and Dennis Raphael, 2023

In this paper, the author explores the commodification of contemporary politics in the west. Cont... more In this paper, the author explores the commodification of contemporary politics in the west. Contemporary democratic politics, the author claims, is absent of genuine alternatives. This has led to the seamless reproduction of established political and economic conventions. The ideologies of neoliberalism, the author claims, continue to underpin the structure and content of western political systems. These ideologies are now as accepted on the political left as they are on the political right. The emphasis that is placed upon cultural conflict in contemporary political debate usefully distracts many voters and commentators from the fact that all mainstream political parties agree on economic matters. However, despite the continued supremacy of neoliberal thinking in corporate and governmental institutions, neoliberalism’s global market system is clearly undergoing significant change. Neoliberalism is now less stable and coherent, and opportunities exist to challenge and replace it with a less socially injurious socio-economic system. However, the organised left has little to offer. Its mainstream parties accept and occasionally champion neoliberalism, and its intellectuals and radicals tend to ignore socio-economic issues and focus almost exclusively on the injustices of the cultural arena. The left’s failure to interrupt the rolling reproduction of neoliberalism, leaving neoliberals to determine the shape and content of our shared future, raises a disquieting possibility: perhaps, rather than expecting the return of social democracy or the construction of an entirely new socio-economic platform, we in the west should expect things to get even worse. Perhaps we have already left neoliberalism behind. Perhaps we are already living through the early decades of a new feudal era.

Critical Criminology, 2021

The concept of organic resistance has stood as a cornerstone of critical social science for decad... more The concept of organic resistance has stood as a cornerstone of critical social science for decades. Countless authors have claimed that minor acts of “transgression” should be interpreted as indicators of a proto-revolutionary drive among the marginalized to fight oppressive power. Here, we argue that critical scholars must jettison such baseless idealism and accept the huge amount of work needed to create within people a desire for genuine change. Post-1968 liberal capitalism has proven itself, time and again, able to integrate dissent and dissatisfaction into its project of continuous self-revolution. To move forward, we must accept a regrettable reality: most marginalized citizens dream not of overthrowing the system, but of achieving a degree of security and success within the system as it stands. If critical criminology is to continue to shed new light upon the huge problems we face, the lives of our most marginalized citizens must be represented with a greater degree of honesty.

Progressive Justice in an Age of Repression, 2019

this is the first draft of work finally published as: Winlow, S. Hall, S. and Treadwell, J. (2... more this is the first draft of work finally published as:

Winlow, S. Hall, S. and Treadwell, J. (2018), ‘Why the left must change: Right-wing populism in context’ in E. Currie and W. DeKeseredy (eds) Progressive Justice in an Age of Repression, New York: Routledge

Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2015

in Critical Criminology

The concept of organic resistance has stood as a cornerstone of critical social science for decad... more The concept of organic resistance has stood as a cornerstone of critical social science for decades. Countless authors have claimed that minor acts of "transgression" should be interpreted as indicators of a proto-revolutionary drive among the marginalized to fight oppressive power. Here, we argue that critical scholars must jettison such baseless idealism and accept the huge amount of work needed to create within people a desire for genuine change. Post-1968 liberal capitalism has proven itself, time and again, able to integrate dissent and dissatisfaction into its project of continuous self-revolution. To move forward, we must accept a regrettable reality: most marginalized citizens dream not of overthrowing the system, but of achieving a degree of security and success within the system as it stands. If critical criminology is to continue to shed new light upon the huge problems we face, the lives of our most marginalized citizens must be represented with a greater degree of honesty.

in Lynes, Kelly and Treadwell (eds) Dark Destinations

Research Ethics in Criminology, 2016

In this chapter we discuss some of the problems associated with developing forms of ethical overs... more In this chapter we discuss some of the problems associated with developing forms of ethical oversight in the field of criminology and criminal justice. We argue that the core concerns of institutional ethics committees are inextricably bound up with the logic of the market. The ongoing marketization of the university is, quite clearly, affecting the production of knowledge, and institutional ethics committees now possess an unstated and unacknowledged desire to defend the institution from litigation and reputational damage. This desire now exhorts a subtle but powerful influence upon the deliberations of institutional ethics committees. Using our own research backgrounds and engagement with institutional ethics committees as a foundation for our critique, we argue that ethnography, and in situ social research more generally, must be protected from those forces that would seek to formalise, sanitise and control it. ………………………………………………….. Key points: 1. Institutional ethics committees now function to defend the institution from litigation and reputational damage. 2. The consideration of 'ethics'-properly defined-actually plays a marginal role in the deliberations of ethics committees.

Critical Criminology, 2021

If we are to understand the ongoing process of the commercialisation of the university system, i... more If we are to understand the ongoing process of the commercialisation of the university system, it is vital that we return to ideology critique. This article attempts to identify and explain the ideological structure of two interrelated processes. First, it investigates the role neoliberalism has played in the erosion of the core values of the university. Focusing on the British university system, the author addresses the ‘reversal of ideology’ and the onward march of processes of metricisation, competition and depoliticisation. The author then explores the domestication of critique and the anxiety and trepidation that prevail in the occupational cultures of the British academy. The article then addresses the impact of these changes upon British criminology and the working lives and careers of British criminologists. The articles closes with the claim that, if criminologists are to play some role in addressing the fundamental challenges of our time – and in rescuing the university from the market – they must dare to overturn obstructive conventions and set themselves to the task of extending our knowledge of our social, cultural and economic life.

This obituary for Steve Redhead first appeared in the British Society of Criminology's Summer 201... more This obituary for Steve Redhead first appeared in the British Society of Criminology's Summer 2018 newsletter.

Policing and Society

Appeared in the journal Policing and Society

Routledge eBooks, Jun 19, 2015

ABSTRACT

Routledge eBooks, Jul 5, 2017

Justice Alternatives, 2019

Transforming Society Blog, 2024

The English Riots of 2024 possessed a markedly different character to the English riots of 2011. ... more The English Riots of 2024 possessed a markedly different character to the English riots of 2011. The political and socio-economic contexts have changed. Tens of millions feel politically ignored and unrepresented. Racism is changing at a fundamental level. As we stumble blindly towards a new techno-feudal age, crisis stacks upon on top of crisis, desperation is normalised, and fundamental questions remain unanswered.

The British Journal of Criminology, 2017

Handbook on the Social Determinants of Health, edited by Toba Bryant and Dennis Raphael, 2023

In this paper, the author explores the commodification of contemporary politics in the west. Cont... more In this paper, the author explores the commodification of contemporary politics in the west. Contemporary democratic politics, the author claims, is absent of genuine alternatives. This has led to the seamless reproduction of established political and economic conventions. The ideologies of neoliberalism, the author claims, continue to underpin the structure and content of western political systems. These ideologies are now as accepted on the political left as they are on the political right. The emphasis that is placed upon cultural conflict in contemporary political debate usefully distracts many voters and commentators from the fact that all mainstream political parties agree on economic matters. However, despite the continued supremacy of neoliberal thinking in corporate and governmental institutions, neoliberalism’s global market system is clearly undergoing significant change. Neoliberalism is now less stable and coherent, and opportunities exist to challenge and replace it with a less socially injurious socio-economic system. However, the organised left has little to offer. Its mainstream parties accept and occasionally champion neoliberalism, and its intellectuals and radicals tend to ignore socio-economic issues and focus almost exclusively on the injustices of the cultural arena. The left’s failure to interrupt the rolling reproduction of neoliberalism, leaving neoliberals to determine the shape and content of our shared future, raises a disquieting possibility: perhaps, rather than expecting the return of social democracy or the construction of an entirely new socio-economic platform, we in the west should expect things to get even worse. Perhaps we have already left neoliberalism behind. Perhaps we are already living through the early decades of a new feudal era.

Critical Criminology, 2021

The concept of organic resistance has stood as a cornerstone of critical social science for decad... more The concept of organic resistance has stood as a cornerstone of critical social science for decades. Countless authors have claimed that minor acts of “transgression” should be interpreted as indicators of a proto-revolutionary drive among the marginalized to fight oppressive power. Here, we argue that critical scholars must jettison such baseless idealism and accept the huge amount of work needed to create within people a desire for genuine change. Post-1968 liberal capitalism has proven itself, time and again, able to integrate dissent and dissatisfaction into its project of continuous self-revolution. To move forward, we must accept a regrettable reality: most marginalized citizens dream not of overthrowing the system, but of achieving a degree of security and success within the system as it stands. If critical criminology is to continue to shed new light upon the huge problems we face, the lives of our most marginalized citizens must be represented with a greater degree of honesty.

Progressive Justice in an Age of Repression, 2019

this is the first draft of work finally published as: Winlow, S. Hall, S. and Treadwell, J. (2... more this is the first draft of work finally published as:

Winlow, S. Hall, S. and Treadwell, J. (2018), ‘Why the left must change: Right-wing populism in context’ in E. Currie and W. DeKeseredy (eds) Progressive Justice in an Age of Repression, New York: Routledge

Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2015

in Critical Criminology

The concept of organic resistance has stood as a cornerstone of critical social science for decad... more The concept of organic resistance has stood as a cornerstone of critical social science for decades. Countless authors have claimed that minor acts of "transgression" should be interpreted as indicators of a proto-revolutionary drive among the marginalized to fight oppressive power. Here, we argue that critical scholars must jettison such baseless idealism and accept the huge amount of work needed to create within people a desire for genuine change. Post-1968 liberal capitalism has proven itself, time and again, able to integrate dissent and dissatisfaction into its project of continuous self-revolution. To move forward, we must accept a regrettable reality: most marginalized citizens dream not of overthrowing the system, but of achieving a degree of security and success within the system as it stands. If critical criminology is to continue to shed new light upon the huge problems we face, the lives of our most marginalized citizens must be represented with a greater degree of honesty.

in Lynes, Kelly and Treadwell (eds) Dark Destinations

Research Ethics in Criminology, 2016

In this chapter we discuss some of the problems associated with developing forms of ethical overs... more In this chapter we discuss some of the problems associated with developing forms of ethical oversight in the field of criminology and criminal justice. We argue that the core concerns of institutional ethics committees are inextricably bound up with the logic of the market. The ongoing marketization of the university is, quite clearly, affecting the production of knowledge, and institutional ethics committees now possess an unstated and unacknowledged desire to defend the institution from litigation and reputational damage. This desire now exhorts a subtle but powerful influence upon the deliberations of institutional ethics committees. Using our own research backgrounds and engagement with institutional ethics committees as a foundation for our critique, we argue that ethnography, and in situ social research more generally, must be protected from those forces that would seek to formalise, sanitise and control it. ………………………………………………….. Key points: 1. Institutional ethics committees now function to defend the institution from litigation and reputational damage. 2. The consideration of 'ethics'-properly defined-actually plays a marginal role in the deliberations of ethics committees.

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